Welcome my fellow Mama Bear! Come on over, grab a coffee and pull up a chair, lets sit and chat!
I’m Catherine. I’m a Catholic in need of as much grace as anyone is dishing out! I am a wife to my college sweetheart and life partner, John. I am a mother to six amazing kiddos, one of whom is blessed with an extra 21st chromosome (Down syndrome). I survive on coffee…..lots of coffee! In the case of a zombie apocalypse I will spend my final days at Starbucks. I grew up in Peru (best food in the world), went to school in Wales (met Prince Charles), landed in Montana (met John), married in Florida (close second for best food), and planted my roots in Colorado (home!).
Our life is an adventure – every.single.day!
I am a Mama Bear. I can go from cuddly and lovable, to ferocious, and back in about 6 seconds flat. Beat that!
Legend has it that a mama bear is strong and powerful, fiercely protective of her cubs at all costs. I would also suggest that us Mama Bears are more than that.
We take care of our families.
We are problem-solvers.
We are pro-active.
We are passionate.
We strive to keep order over chaos.
We value community over competition.
We value grace over perfection.
We love intensely.
We fight hard for what we believe in.
We love our families without reservation, without judgement, without fear.
As Mama Bears we know life is messy, and wonderful, and stressful, and rewarding, and defeating, and joyful, and one big exercise in grace.
Finding grace in the mess is a lesson I strive to learn each and every day – and something I hope we will do together! Am I here to teach from a place of mastery? Oh no I’m not! I’m here simply to share from a path of humbly still learning – learning to grow in faith, thrive as a family, and manage our home.
Krause Bears started way back in 2007 as a simple way to update our family and friends on our medically complex Peter. When we had our first ultrasound with Peter we saw his little body with tiny limbs and thought, “He looks like a teddy bear!” We found out prenatally about his extra 21st chromosome and the holes in his heart. We immediately sent out prayer requests for our “Baby Bear”. Requests that circled this world many times over. Baby Bear soon became Peter Bear, and by default the rest of us became the Krause Bears. Over the years our medical updates morphed into family updates, calls to action, Down syndrome awareness and advocacy, and nuggets of wisdom we picked up along the way.
As our family has grown, so have our dreams for Krause Bears. In this, our little corner of cyberspace, we will share our continued journey as we grow in our Catholic faith, we will travel the path of marriage and parenting, navigate ways of taking care of our home. We will build our Mama Bear community by sharing inspiration…also known as ins-bear-ation, self-care, and so much more! Honoring that our journey began with the gift of an extra 21st chromosome, we will have a corner dedicated to Down syndrome awareness and Peter’s journey as he continues his quest to become an astronaut.
My fellow Mama bears, my hope is that together we can inspire each other to live with purpose, to celebrate our families, to discover joy in unexpected places, and to encourage our journeys as perfectly imperfect Mama Bears.
xoxo
Catherine